(July 20th Game)
By Josh McMullen – Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs
LITTLE FALLS, NY – The Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs came back from a four-run deficit in the first to end the Utica Blue Sox’ winning streak at 12 with a 6-4 victory.
The Blue Sox jumped out to a four-run lead in the first, thanks to an RBI single by Will Shannon (Bloomfield, MI/Hillsdale) and an RBI double by Josh Skowronski (Frederick, MD/Kentucky). The Diamond Dawgs came back with one in the bottom of the inning, with a bloop RBI single by Mitchell Balint (Avondale, PA/Carson-Newman). His league-leading 39th RBI of the season scored Nick Sturino (New Milford, CT/Fairfield) from second base.
Mohawk Valley cut the lead to two on a hard-hit ball by Nick Sturino that got all the way to the wall in right field, scoring Jaden Ross (Tampa, FL/South Florida). They’d tie it up on another RBI single, this time by Sam Miller, bringing home Sturino and Corey Adams (Richmond, VA/William and Mary).
The score would stay knotted at four until the sixth, when a ball hit by Brady Shannon (Youngstown, OH/Central Florida) went parallel to the foul line and into right field. The double would score Sebastian Mueller (Pottersville, NJ/Quinnipiac), who had hit a double as well to lead off the inning. Sturino brought in Shannon three batters later, when he walked with the bases loaded.
That was all the insurance Bo Buckley (Petrolia, Ontario, Canada/Fairfield) and Aidan Colagrande (Kings Park, NY/Fairfield) would need, allowing just three hits over the next eight innings to slam the door on the Blue Sox.
Colin Dowlen (Middletown, NJ/Seton Hall) got the win for Mohawk Valley (22-14). Daly Skees (Georgetown, IN/Hillsdale) got the loss for Utica (21-11). Colagrande got the save for the Diamond Dawgs.
These two teams will play another two games on Friday at Donovan Stadium, and will meet one more time on the last day of the season, July 29. Mohawk Valley will play again on Saturday at Veteran’s Memorial Park when they host a doubleheader against the Watertown Rapids.